Very Slow Trot

[alexa]

I am not up to the level of most of the posters on this forum so hope you can help me here.

I have a horse that has changed / is changing from race horse to saddle horse. Together with my trainer he (and I) have made progress and he holds himself more nicely now and can do a really good canter . The worst pace is the trot, I feel that I am somehow holding him back while wanting him to step out more. It is very slow more like a jog really and I know that he can trot nicely when outside the arena. If I squeeze hard enough he will increase speed but it drops back almost immediately. His head is in a good position (most of the time) and he is normally an energetic horse , sometimes too energetic so I am sure that it is the way I am sitting, not relaxed enough or something that is giving him contradictary messages that produces this slow constipated feeling trot. There is no great pressure on his mouth, at least I don't think so, so I feel it is my body positon, weight , pressure or something. I have some pictures on my computer but not sure how to transfer from where they are stored onto this note, also I notice that they are 2.17 mb  in size on an average.

Please feel free with your ideas, I have asked my trainer but I have not had a reply from her that helps me and he steps out fine with her.
regards
Alexa

[Mandeigh]

that sounds familiar...my boy's trot when he arrived was pretty much vertical.....with very little forward motion and no ground coverage with his feet.  For me the solution was to bring out his trot working him on the lunge.  I am assuming there is nothing physical making your horse trot this way.....he may find that he doesn't have the balance for a free and active trot, or it is simply that he is used to this way of going.  Lunge and loose schooling are great, you can push the horse on he can find his own balance and in ridden work, pushing the trot up a long incline and allowing him to stretch  forward.  If he is tight in the back, he needs to release that first to enable him to work the shoulders and hips better.

[karen thompson]

Another thing to possibly try following on from what Mandeigh has said, would be to use your seat to slow the trot rather than the hand, if you can get him to go forward and stretch on the long sides than slow your rise to slow him combined with your half halt perhaps this would help. Also I wonder if you are gripping with your knees and pulling yourself into the rise, rather than wrapping your leg around and tipping your pelvis and if so this may be unbalancing him. I am presuming that you are rising to the trot rather than sitting at this stage of his training, also it may help  to forget about his outline and concentrate on the forward impulsion before you start to collect him up, I knw Sorrell sometimes bunches up in his work and I have to forget about pretty much everything else and send him forwards first, then slowly pick him up when his engine ( bum) is running properly.
 

[cptrayes]

And don't worry! Racehorses almost never trot. They walk. They gallop. On straight lines. Full stop.

He'll learn to trot in time, just keep at it!

C.  

[Mandeigh]

And don't worry! Racehorses almost never trot. They walk. They gallop. On straight lines. Full stop. 

   a perfect sumation Caroline..... spot on!
 

[jay]

One other thing, how is your rising trot? are you really with the movement of the horse? I see so many people who are way behind the movement so while their legs are asking the horse to go forward, their body and weight is saying to him slow down. Which is very confusing for the poor chap!  An easy way to check is to do the Sally Swift exercise. While trotting, stand up in your stirrups for a few strides instead of posting and see if you can maintain your balance without grabbing the reins, mane or whatever to stop yourself tipping backwards and thumping down in the saddle again. If you can't stay upright, you are probably behind the movement.

Hope this helps,
jay

[alexa]

Thanks for these replies I am going to check out the movement tomorrow, maybe I am slightly behind the movement as Jay suggests, I felt sure that I am doing something telling him to slow and maybe that is it as no problem with canter or walk. I know trot is not his thing but it needs to get a bit better than it is.

I will be on vacation as of tonight with little or no access to internet  so will let you know when i am back how things are.

best wishes
Alexa